Things to Do in Ubud, Bali

In March 2014 we went to Bali after spending a week in New Zealand.

One day we hired a taxi to take us to a few of Ubud’s temples and sights.

Many of the temples require your legs to be covered.

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Kelly and I wore long sundresses and John borrowed a sarong at each temple for a small donation.

Goa Gajah, also known as Elephant Cave, is a temple in the village of Budulu.

The northern part of the complex is Buddhist and the southern part is Hindu.

The gardens at Goa Gajah are beautiful:

And the people are charming.

Gunung Kawi means “carving in the mount”.

It is a 10th century Hindu temple located in the Gianyar district.

There are approximately 315 stone steps down to the temple complex (and back up), so be prepared before you go.

It’s worth it!

According to the legend, the carvings at Gunung Kawi are the memorial shrines of the king’s mistresses and his family.

Tirta Empul Temple, also known as Tampak Siring, is a Hindu temple famous for its holy water.

Tirta Empul means “holy water spring”.

The water is believed to have healing powers.

Many Hindi Balinese come to cleanse their bodies physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Our next stop was Tegallalang Village for a stunning view of Ubud’s Rice Terraces.

Tegallalang is very much a tourist town, but the view makes it worth it.

We went back to the heart of Ubud for lunch at Cafe Lotus.

The restaurant overlooks a lotus pond and the Pura Saraswati:

The temple honors the goddess of wisdom and the arts.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal.

You can read all about our afternoon with those mischievous, long-tailed macaque monkeys HERE.

Before leaving Ubud, we walked through the market in the center of Ubud.

This is the best place to shop for inexpensive souvenirs.

But even if you aren’t in the market for a Bali beer koozie or a bamboo wind chime, you should still take a stroll through the two-story market.

The shop owners are fun and will kindly sell you something you didn’t even know you needed.

Just ask John!

The three of us had such a wonderful time in Ubud.

Our time was short, but we were able to experience several of Ubud’s temples, sights, and restaurants.

There are so many things to do in Ubud but if I had to pick my favorite thing about the city, it would be the people.

So kind.

So gentle.

And some of the hardest workers you’ll ever meet.

Thank you, Ubud.

I hope our paths cross again one day.
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You can read all about our villa in the rice fields and the delicious food we ate HERE.
And don’t forget to read about our afternoon with the mischievous, long-tailed macaque monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal.